To Perform in The Anime North Dance Cover Show 2026

Rules

1. Each individual is permitted only one entry into the lottery, and may perform in only one routine. This is due to the high volume of registrations we get each year.

2. No skits or full original choreographed performances are allowed; only dance covers are permitted.

   • A dance cover is a performance by fans of an officially recognized dance for a song.

   • Examples include KPop group dances, official JPop idol Dance Shot videos, NicoNico Douga Vocaloid dances, etc. Questions? Email us at DanceCoverShow@animenorth.com.

   • Some freestyle is permitted (one verse’s- or chorus’s-worth at most) but must be mentioned/discussed in your registration form, or by email prior to submission.

3. All Asian Pop is allowed for this event, in addition to dances/songs associated with Asian Pop Culture (such as VTuber content). For questions, contact us at DanceCoverShow@animenorth.com before registering.

4. No repeat songs will be performed at the event. Mash-ups, remixes, or medleys are not permitted.

5. The default group size cap is 9, since the stage is small.

6. If your performance involves stunts, lifts, heavy stomping, etc., we may request choreography changes or a smaller group size for safety reasons.

7. Each routine should be between 2 to 5 minutes long.

8. The event has been PG-13 since 2025. No flagrant nudity, profanity, or sexual/racial slurs are permitted. Performances with an 18+ rating are not allowed.

9. Performances must be confined to the stage area, using designated entrances and exits. Jumping off the stage is not permitted, and objects cannot be thrown at or distributed to the audience. Audience members are not allowed on stage.

10. All props must be approved by the Anime North Dance Cover Show organizers in advance and may need to go through Weapon’s Check. All props must be sourced, handled, and set-up by yourselves, including chairs.

11. Shoes must be worn during performances.

12. Dancers aged 16 and under must have written consent by a parent or legal guardian submitted with their registration forms, or emailed to us at DanceCoverShow@animenorth.com before the Registration Form closes at 11:59pm on Sunday, April 19th, 2026.

    • Printable Forms: 13 Years Old and Under | 14-16 Years Old

    • Mobile-friendly Forms: 13 Years Old and Under | 14-16 Years Old

13. Dancers (and their parents/legal guardians, if the performer is underage) are responsible for their own Anime North admission/transportation.

14. Green Room attendance is mandatory unless arrangements have been made in advance; latecomers risk event removal. Please refer to the Tentative Schedule section for further detail.

15. The Anime North Dance Cover Show organizers reserve the right to remove anyone from the event on the basis of taste, danger to the audience or other participants, or for any other reason deemed sufficient (such as violating rules, disruptive behavior, failure to comply with event procedures, etc). Repeated violations of the rules may result in the individual in question being barred from future shows.

16. All major communication will be via email. When you register, make sure the email you give us is one you check frequently, since we will be sending out updates or important information that way, including Dance Lottery results.

    • Co-organizers can be contacted at DanceCoverShow@animenorth.com if you are concerned or have specific questions about what is allowed. We will try to answer emails within 1 week.

    • We have a dedicated subsection of the Official Anime North Discord server as well, but use of it is not required to participate in the Dance Show.

17. The Anime North Dance Cover Show organizers reserve the right to add, remove, or otherwise change rules. If any changes happen, we will announce them in our Announcements channel on the Official Anime North Discord and highlight them on this document as well. Participants that have registered already will also be emailed about the changes.

The Process

1. Buy your Anime North ticket (either full Weekend or Sunday-only).

2. Read this document from start to finish. Ask any questions you may have by emailing us at: DanceCoverShow@animenorth.com

3. Do one of the following:

   • If you have a full dance crew/group/predetermined set of people you want to dance with OR are a single person who doesn’t want to dance with others, figure out what song you want to perform.

   • If you have a small group and would like more people, or if you are a single person who wants to find others to dance with, figure out what song(s) you’re open to performing and make a recruitment post somewhere! We highly recommend our Recruitment forums on the Official Anime North Discord server.

   • If you have a small group and would like more people, or if you are a single person who wants to find others to dance with, and you don’t know what song to perform, check out the recruitment posts on Discord!

4. Once you have decided what song you want to register with, start learning it. Gather up the required info as well (see the Registration section below for details).

5. Before the Registration Form closes at 11:59pm on Sunday, April 19th, 2026, record your Dance Proof video and submit your form.

   • We recommend submitting well in advance of the deadline in case any issues arise with your form to allow time for discussion and potential resubmission. 

   • If performing with a group, choose 1 person to submit all the info for the whole group.

   • Parental permission forms, dance proof videos, and audio can be emailed to us separate from the form. However, this will delay the approval of the individual in question. These need to be sent to us before the Registration Form closes.

6. Wait for the results to be announced. This will happen no later than the end of the day on Sunday, May 3rd, 2026.

7. Once the results are posted:

   • If you made it in, congrats! Polish up your performance. :D 

   • If you did not, there could still be hope! All dances that do not make it into the initial setlist will be put on the Waitlist in case of any drop-outs or disqualifications. The latest Waitlisted dancers will be notified if they made it into the show on Friday, May 15th, 2026. Further updates and arrangements will be made through e-mail.

8. On show day (Sunday, May 24th, 2026), report to the Green Room in the TCC North Building no later than 10:20am for sign-in and stage orientation. Use down-time to practice, use the bathroom, etc. Be sure to eat some solid food and stay hydrated!

9. Have fun performing! :D 

Dance Lottery and Selection

• After reviewing and approving submissions, we will be using a lottery system to determine the show’s setlist.

• The first 80 minutes of audio/performance will secure a spot in the event.

• Solo performances are capped at a maximum of 20 minutes, or ¼, of the show’s runtime.

• In cases of duplicate song submissions, the group/performer rolled first gets the spot in the show. (Example: Performers A and B both submit "Fire" by BTS. When the results are generated, Performer B's entry comes before Performer A's in the results list. Performer B has made it into the show, and Performer A will be added to the Waitlist.)

• Performances outside the 80-minute limit will be placed on a Waitlist.

• Results will be emailed no later than the end of the day on Sunday, May 3rd, 2026. Waitlisted performers will be contacted based on drawn numbers if time becomes available for their performance.

• Refer to the Submission Live Update Tracker to see the songs that we have approved for the lottery thus far.

Tentative Schedule

• Sunday, April 19th, 2026: Registration closes at 11:59PM EST

• Sunday, May 3rd, 2026: Latest the lottery results will be announced

• Friday, May 15th, 2026: Performance order finalized. Last day to submit any changes.

• Saturday, May 23rd, 2026: Tentative soundcheck. You may attend if you’d like to practice on stage. Exact time tbd, but likely in the morning.

• Sunday, May 24th, 2026: Showday!

  • 9:30am: Green Room and sign-in desk opens (shared use with other events).  Please check-in no later than 10:20AM. If you are late without contacting us, or unable to make soundcheck, your performance slot will be offered to an act on stand-by.

  • After 10:20am: we will be doing a quick briefing on the event, backstage, and on-stage procedures held in the stage area.

  • 11am: the event begins!

Registration

To participate in the event, each dance routine must complete a Registration Form. Only one form is required per dance routine, regardless of the number of dancers. If you're part of a group and uncomfortable with a representative handling your personal information, please contact us via email at DanceCoverShow@animenorth.com for an alternative arrangement. 

The Registration Form will ask for the following information:

1. Performance Details:

   • [Name of Song - Artist] for your dance cover.

   • Links to video reference(s) used for learning the dance cover. Reference videos must clearly show all performers and moves, preferably with minimal camera movement or cut away shots.

   • Include any additional notes about your routine, such as prop usage, choreography modifications, freestyle moments, stage entrances/timings, etc. 

2. Audio File:

   • Provide a direct link to your audio file in mp3 format, with a quality of 128kbps to 320kbps. Here is how to check your audio file’s quality. Studio releases are preferred. Low-quality audio, specifically live-performance and AI-generated audio, is not acceptable.

   • Audio file must be 2-5 minutes long.

3. Dancer Details:

   • Legal name, email, pronouns, and age as of May 22nd, 2026.

4. Permission Forms for Dancers Aged 16 and Under as of May 22nd, 2026:

   • Participants can provide a direct link to filled-out permission forms when submitting registration forms OR email them separately, but this will delay the approval of the individual in question.

   • Either print out a waiver, get it signed and take a photo/scan it, or have it signed electronically.

     • Printable form versions: 13 Years Old and Under | 14-16 Years Old

     • Mobile-friendly form versions: 13 Years Old and Under | 14-16 Years Old
       
       

5. Stage name(s) or group name (if applicable) and Pronunciation:

   • Specify how you or your group would like to be introduced by the MC and referred to in our videos and setlist.

6. Footage of Each Dancer:

   • Include direct link(s) to footage of each dancer giving an introduction and performing the routine.

     • These can be provided to us as separate videos.

   • Each dancer must be visible on camera and verbally state their legal name and reference Anime North / Anime North Dance Cover Show (e.g., “My name is ___, and this video is for the Anime North Dance Cover Show.”). Voice-over, or dubbed introductions are not permitted.

     • The introduction may be included/edited at the beginning of the performance video or submitted as a separate video, provided the dancer’s face is clearly visible at all times and it is evident that the individual speaking is the individual performing. Introductions must be spoken clearly and at a reasonable pace.

   • Each dancer must perform a minimum of 1 minute and 30 seconds of their performance at x1 (normal) speed. The performance does not need to be from memory. Timing begins when the dancer starts moving. Extended periods of standing still (such as long intros) are not counted toward the required duration. Brief pauses or poses lasting one to two seconds will not be deducted from the total time. If you have any questions regarding this, please email us at DanceCoverShow@animenorth.com.

   • If you are performing with a prop, you will need to demonstrate on video how it will be used in your performance. Placeholder props are acceptable. The proof video must show the full extent of the prop’s usage as it will appear in the performance. For example, if the original performance uses the prop for the entire dance and you intend to replicate that in your performance, you must submit a video of yourself performing the entire dance.

   • If you are incorporating choreography changes or freestyling, you will need to demonstrate on video how they will be integrated into your performance.

   • We will not be judging or publicly sharing your proof videos. The goal is to see that you are learning the dance before registering.

   • Proof videos may also be emailed separately from the registration form. However, submitting them after the form has been submitted may delay approval. All proof videos must be received before the registration form closes.

   • If sending us the video via Google Drive, please make sure you change the Sharing settings to “anyone with the link can view”.

Every participant will receive a copy of their registration form within 2 weeks, verifying the accuracy of the provided personal information. Additionally, participants will be notified if their registration form is in good order and that they are officially entered into the lottery. You can refer to the Submission Live Update Tracker to view the current status of all songs that have been submitted for the lottery so far. If you do not get an email from us within 2 weeks, feel free to email us instead at DanceCoverShow@animenorth.com to inquire on the status of your Registration Form.

We recommend submitting well in advance of the deadline in case any issues arise with your form to allow time for discussion and potential re-submission. 

FAQ

Questions?

Any queries concerning the Anime North Dance Cover Show should be directed to DanceCoverShow@animenorth.com in advance of the convention.